Pointing arrangements for desk top computers and other electronic equipment generally make use of the conventional mouse device. The mouse device includes a moveable unit typically joined by way of a cable to the electronic equipment (e.g. computer), the moveable unit being adapted to be moved on a surface, e.g. a desk. Invariably the mouse unit uses up valuable desk space. In addition it is inconvenient to move one's hand to and from the keyboard and the mouse unit.
Current pointing arrangements, that are integrated with keyboards, such as track balls, touchpads and pointing sticks, do not match the dexterity of the conventional mouse and are often not used but are substituted for by a conventional mouse unit coupled to the computer, again resulting in the additional desk space required.
To overcome the problem of moving ones hand to and from the keyboard and mouse (and to overcome other problems such as repetitive stress injury) a combination keyboard and mouse device has been conceived by Retter, U.S. Pat. No. 4,917,516. The invention provides for a data entry method in which the keyboard and mouse are combined. Two similar units are proposed to be used by the left and right hands of the user. The type of key entry specified consists of receiving wells for receiving the thumbs and fingers of hands. Within these wells alphanumeric data entry keys are clustered so that each finger and thumb is capable of operating a number of different keys from a single "home" position by using small horizontal and downward movements of the fingers. This method as such does not use conventional typing keys and the user is required to learn a new typing method different from the standard and typically flat keyboard known as the "QWERTY" keyboard. The requirement of having to learn a new typing method has prevented the wide spread acceptance of the aforementioned invention. It is the main object of the proposed invention to overcome this obstacle by providing for an the essentially standard, flat "OWERTY" keyboard to be used with the combination keyboard and mouse system. Other keyboard layouts that rearrange the key positions in more logical arrangements could be used such as the "Dvorak" keyboard (U.S. Pat. No. 2,040,248). However, although the "Dvorak" keyboard is also flat it requires a new typing method to be learnt and as such is unlikely to be used.
As used above and throughout the specification the term conventional data input keys is to be understood to mean keys which have lie in a grid array under each user's hand and which are arranged to lie in a planar or a substantially planar surface. Such an arrangement includes QWERTY keyboards and Dvorak keyboards.
The term QWERTY keyboard, is to be understood to mean a keyboard which utilises conventional data input keys in which the top line of alphabetic keys are arranged left to right as q, w, e, r, t, y.
It is an object of this invention to provide a combined keyboard pointing arrangement that can be used on either or both notebook or desktop computers, or other electronic equipment and which utilises a conventional keyboard layout, so avoiding the need to retrain keyboard users.